EDITORIALS: The ephemeral and the eternal

Our candle flickers but a moment in the land of the living. One measure of the light it sheds is how well it illuminates what is eternal.

For decades, Cape Codders were connected to what matters by a gentle yet strong man named Sherrill Smith. He fed observations, ideas, and reflections into a newspaper column he called Woodstove. Sometimes the warmth generated made readers cozy; other times, the heat from the page made them uncomfortable.

In his last Woodstove column, Sherrill wrote:

“I like better the “Appeal to the Great Spirit,” the bronze statue in front of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston since 1912. On the back of his horse the Indian looks upward, his arms and hands extended, a time to acknowledge the presence of his creator while a thanksgiving is offered toward the heavens… I cannot agree with those who think a beautifully designed church building exceeds the Indian who lifts his head and arms in reverence to the creator he knows so well…”

As a man, Sherrill had a beginning and an end. As an inspiration, he continues.

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